Getting divorced? Your Facebook account could get you in trouble.
A survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers published in February found that Facebook is cited in 20 percent of divorces in America -- but Florida lawyer Carin Constantine says the number is much, much higher.
The St. Petersburg attorney told Florida television station WTSP that the social networking site and sites like it have made her job a million times easier – or more difficult, depending on what side of the case she's on.
In the February study, 80 percent of divorce lawyers reported that more people are using social networking to engage in affairs.
"There are times when my paralegal and I sit in this office and laugh because people are stupid," she said. "They put things out there on the internet that can last forever."
For recent divorcees, the news may come as no surprise.
Dorothy McGurk, a Staten Island woman, danced her way out of $850 a month for life that she was collecting from her ex-husband after she convinced a judge she was disabled. But when her ex caught note of her belly dancing blog, a judge yanked back the money – even when she knew that she had to watch what was on the internet.
"Gotta be careful what goes on line pookies," she wrote on Facebook before being hauled into court. "The ex would love to fry me with that."
Getting rid of Facebook accounts doesn't help much either, Constantine warned.
She told WTSP that she just goes to Google's "images" search function and puts in the divorcee's name – and within seconds, incriminating photos can pop up.
"The problem is, if you've got 400 friends, I assure you one of those friends [doesn't] have all the privacy settings correct," she said.
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